My weekend at Jazz at the Bistro

As regular readers may recall, last weekend I played a gig at Jazz at the Bistro with singer Kim Massie, who was recording a live CD during her shows there. It was my first time playing at the Bistro, and I promised a few impressions, so here goes.

Overall, the consensus seems to be that it went well. Though none of the four shows completely sold out, the crowds were substantial, and people seemed to enjoy the music. From the musicians' standpoint, it wasn't a totally glitch-free gig - few, if any, ever are - but we felt the quality of performances was good enough to yield some material acceptable for CD release. Of course, none of us have heard the recordings yet, so we may be rudely surprised. But assuming the results were pleasing to Kim, the whole world should be able to hear the resulting CD before the end of the year. ("Perfect for holiday gift-giving," indeed...)

I've always enjoyed listening to music at the Bistro, and I enjoyed playing there, too. The club's "listening room" policy helps ensure an attentive audience, and though the stage isn't especially big, the layout works pretty well and the onstage monitors do the job. The staff was cheerful and efficient, the meals provided to the musicians were tasty - for the record, I had the Cuban pot roast and the chicken quesadillas - and overall, the place lives up to its rep as a musician-friendly joint.

And as someone who plays 98% of his gigs on electric keyboards, I especially enjoyed the chance to play a good-quality, well-maintained acoustic piano. The Bistro's piano is a Yamaha, with a bright but well-rounded tone and a responsive, easy action - perfect for someone like me who doesn't quite have the finger strength for a stiffer concert-quality Bosendordorfer or Steinway kind of feel. They've kept it in good shape - in fact, executive director Gene Dobbs Bradford told me they spent quite a bit of money a few years back on a complete overhaul - and it was a pleasure to play the instrument.

Of course, there was a fair amount of pressure and stress inherent in trying to work up a bunch of new material for a live recording at a high-profile gig. But despite that, it was fun working with Kim, my buddy Gus Thornton on bass, Isaac Jerome Harris on drums and Lew Winer III on saxes, and I hope to have the opportunity to play with them again. Watch this space for news on the release of the CD.